The Luxury of Boredom

Phoebe Wang, Staff Writer

Boredom is when you have nothing to do. It’s a symptom that occurs to everyone, especially during breaks. Personally, I combat it by lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Most people dislike the feeling of being bored; however, in truth, such feelings are a privilege. Being bored usually means that you don’t have assignments to work on or dishes to wash or rooms to clean. It gives you a break from this fast-paced thing called life and allows you to have some time to reflect. Although most people might not see it, being bored is quite a luxury that sometimes, we want to reject. 

Winter break was supposed to be my two weeks of freedom. But, as expected, my dream was crushed. I was given an assignment: “Winter Break Boredom Reflection,” where we had to note the highlights of each day and reflect on the two weeks as a whole. As the painfully lazy human I am, I was prepared to fib the majority of my days, knowing that they would be empty. 

 Throughout break, I surprisingly found myself longing to be in school, discovering that, without classes or homework, I felt a lack of purpose. After clearing the first semester, I felt stuck in a stage called boredom, suffering under the wrath of time. 

I hated it. This thing called boredom. I hated how it ate up my time and soured my mood. I still do, by the way. Returning to school, I planned on explaining how boredom ruined a good half of my break. My rant dissipated as my teacher revealed that she assigned this project to us to encourage us to appreciate the boredom. 

I was shocked.

My boredom was caused by my surplus in time. But there are many people out there suffering from a lack of time. Whether it be due to financial, educational or other purposes, some people simply don’t get the opportunity to do nothing. Boredom allowed me to disengage from the stress, anxiety, and work that filled up my life. 

So, yes. Boredom is a luxury. It’s not good to be bored all the time, and it’s definitely not my favorite part of each day. However, it’s undeniable that such free time is something that I’ll miss in the future. Treasure the times of your boredom, because they’re not there for everyone. 

 

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